To close out 2013, we asked library staff members to write lists–of anything they want. Today we feature Margaret Heller’s favorite weird search engines.
Margaret is the Digital Services Librarian at Cudahy Library.
Favorite Weird Search Engines
Sure, Google is fine, but sometimes you need some specialized information that Google just doesn’t cut it for. I have one recommendation for finals week, and then some ideas for what to search for over winter break when it’s time to relax. These are a few that I rely on for all my most “important” information needs.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha takes most questions you can throw at it and uses math to solve them. For instance, ask it “How many days until Christmas?”, and you’ll not only find out the answer, but see how they calculated it. Much easier than pulling out a calendar. You may find this useful for help with final exams, but you might also find unit conversions helpful for your holiday baking.
Speaking of holiday baking, if you are looking for some healthy recipes to try over winter break, try…
Ashbury’s Aubergines
With more than 3000 eggplant recipes, I don’t think you’ll find a better source. You can search by the other ingredients you have lying around too. The simple Imam Bayildi is one of my favorites.
Ancestry Library
This one is provided to you by the Loyola libraries, but that shouldn’t stop you from using it over the break. Why not spend your extra time hanging out with grandma looking up your family history? I really enjoy looking up where my relatives used to live 50 years ago.
MusicBrainz
This one will help you w
ith your New Year’s resolution to get all your music organized. Run MusicBrainz Picard on your music library, and it will automatically figure out the artist, the title, and the genre. It’s a nice feeling when iTunes isn’t full of lines with empty albums and guesses at song titles.
